


Not So Fucked Up After All

by SidoniVilleduval



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-03 22:24:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4116991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SidoniVilleduval/pseuds/SidoniVilleduval
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snafu, Sledge, Leyden, and Burgie are sent out scouting and find a surprise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not So Fucked Up After All

“Fuck this shit. Why we doin’ this Burgie?” 

Snafu was complaining. Loudly. As he usually did when they were given special tasks. 

Burgie, Sledge, Snaf, and Leyden were sent to scout a village that had been bombed out the night before. The area was clear. No survivors, but Burgie gave orders to follow a path that led out of the village. Presumably it led to a source of water.

Most of the villagers that had tried to flee were strewn along the road and the men had to climb over and around piles of mutilated bodies. It was a gruesome sight. They were so used to it though, they paid no mind.

It was hot. It was muggy. It was unfair, and Snafu was letting them all know. “Fuck the heat. Fuck the sun. Fuck the war. Fuck the Japs. Fuck everything.” 

Sledge was just about fed up with the loud mouthed little shit but he didn’t say anything because honestly, he agreed with him. They were just as battered and sleep deprived as anyone else. Why did they have to go and poke around a town where everyone was obviously dead? The stench proved it. The road went on forever it seemed. Would they find water at the end? Probably not. He kept his mouth shut though. It would never do to be on Burgie’s bad side. 

He admired the cool and collected, but powerful visage the man carried. Burgie’s patience was lengthy but in the heat and with Snafu yammering on, Sledge knew it wouldn’t last much longer. 

They stumbled on. 

A beetle flew into Snafu’s face and he told it to fuck off which garnered a half smile from Sledge.

After that Snaf was quiet. A few minutes later his ears perked up. “Ya hear that?”

“Yeah, sounded like someone cryin’ out” Sledge said, as he scanned the area. 

Burgie unshouldered his gun “Stay here. I’m gonna go check it out.” 

They watched as he carefully searched for the source of the noise. He soon disappeared in the thick brush that grew in that area. 

“Sledge! Get over here!” 

Burgie’s shout startled Eugene. He took off running towards the sound of the cry. What he saw when he got there made him stop so abruptly he almost fell on his ass. 

It was a woman in the last hour of labor. Blood and other bodily fluids pooling all around her. She had severe gashes on her head and a few bruises but otherwise she looked unharmed by the bombing. 

Sledge stared down at the woman who was doubled over and then at Burgie. “Why did you call me?”

“Isn’t your father a doctor or something?”

“Yeah, he is! What do you think I’m gonna do Burgin?”

“Didn’t you ever help your old man with his work?”

“Not with this kind of thing! Didn’t you say you helped your father birth the cows on your farm?!”

“Goddammit Sledge she is not a cow!”

The two, very much freaked out men continued freaking out at each other until they were quieted by a disturbingly calm Snafu hollering at them to “shut the fuck up” and take off their shirts. He then instructed Bill to go find water and bring it back in whatever he could find. 

Sledge watched as Snafu made the girl comfortable and spoke to her gently which seemed to calm her down. He then began to tear the shirts into large strips. As he did this he instructed Burgie on how to catch the baby when it came out and Sledge on how to hold the mother’s hand and keep her calm. Leyden came back with the water just in time. 

The men all watched, amazed at the skill in Snafu’s hands as he aided the woman in guiding the baby out and into Burgie’s waiting arms. It was a girl. Sledge teared up, Bill sobbed, Burgie beamed. They could all swear they saw a tear on Snaf’s cheek as he cut the cord and cleaned the baby and mother.

As he sat there, still holding the mother’s hand, Sledge couldn’t help but wonder how such a fucked up individual was capable of such an innocent and pure act as helping bring a child into the world. He would dwell on that more, later.

Somehow, Sledge couldn’t really remember, they got the mother and the baby back to the camp and were able to get them sent off to medical personnel. 

Snaf didn’t talk to them for the next few days. Not even Sledge. They were all dying to know how he did it. How he knew what to do. But, he didn’t answer their pleas. 

One night, when the gunfire had finally died down and they were told to get some sleep, Snaf finally spoke.

“My momma was a midwife.”

“Huh?” Sledge, half asleep, squinted at Snaf with one eye. 

“My momma was a midwife back in Nawleans. She ain’t had a place for me ta go when she got night calls so I went with her. Afta a while I started helpin’ her. That’s how I knew what to do.”

Sledge shot up to a sitting position and stared. Snafu went on.

“When my momma got sick she sent me to do the birthin’. Said “babies don’t stop comin’ just cause I sick”. I got pretty good at it. Till she died an’ people stopped askin’. Whatever.”

Sledge continued staring. 

“You gon’ say anything?”

“Dammit Sledge you’re givin’ me the heebie jeebies starin’ like that. Fuck you.” 

With that Snaf rolled over and promptly started to snore. 

“Merriell Shelton you son of a gun.” Sledge chuckled to himself. “I guess you’re not so fucked up after all.”

He covered the curled up figure with a blanket and then fell asleep, dreaming of a little Snaf holding his mother’s hand as they walk through the dark streets of New Orleans.


End file.
